Ask any airline pilot if a cluttered runway (i.e. snow depths over 2") reduces takeoff performance and he/she will tell you of course it does. There are charts and computers that figure out the reductions. A layer of mud would certainly fall in the same category, but there are no charts for it cuz it's a super…

"An Air Force Pilot cannot approve his own flight plan"! After 20 years of flying F-4s in the USAF, I don't know what the hell you're talking about there. We routinely flew cross country filing our own flight plans without higher up approval, even as 2nd Lieutenants!

As a 20 year Air Force F-4 driver in the 70's and 80's, I don't doubt that night carrier landings are very challenging events This was always bought up when we had mixed exercises between Navy fighter pilots and fellow AF pilots. But it's all a matter of training.

Nexus 7 GPS—Yes, Kindle Fire HD GPS — No. That's a deal breaker for me as a frequent traveler utilizing all kinds of mapping apps.

Numerous news reports state the rebels used a 14.5 mm gun to hit the Mig-23. This weapon was stolen/captured from the Syrian military. See

A 1000lb bomb minus the guidance system between $500 to $3000. Based on Wikipedia costs for Mark 82s and Mark 84s (500 and 2000 lb bombs).

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Abu+Sidhum&hl=en&ll=28.355868,30.429533&spn=0.014937,0.027874&sll=28.705193,30.562077&sspn=0.119097,0.288391&t=h&z=16

Except that: Big Boeings and most other big airliners don't use trim tabs. Trim is adjusted with motors, spring tensions, mechanically connected to the control surfaces. This looks like a fully approved, temporary repair to a wing flap.

Sorry, but like I said..every pilot of that era encountered landing and takeoff mishaps. If you have never ground looped a taildragger then you've never flown very much.

The suggestion/myth that Earhart lacked piloting skills necessary for takeoffs and landings is just that - a great big fabrication/gossip/envy generated slander. She made literally thousands of takeoffs and landings with out mishap and in fact 28 of them at stops during this last trip prior to her disappearance. …

Sophisticated drones and even airliners use GPS only to update the INS guidance system. If the GPS position gets out of sync (exceeds difference limits) with the INS position, then the algorithms will throw out the GPS position data. Airliners navigated for years using INS and reliability and accuracy was generally…